Last night Stony Brook became the second No. 4 regional seed to reach the College World Series since the tournament expanded to 64 in 1999, beating traditional powerhouse LSU 7-2 in game three of their best-of-three series in Baton Rouge, La.

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The Seawolves are the first team from the northeast region to reach the CWS since the University of Maine in 1986.

To put this is perspective, Greg Vaughan played for Miami (Florida), and Albert Belle played for LSU in that year’s tournament.

So what does any of this have to do with UMass?

In a sport that’s dominated by schools from the West Coast and South, seeing a fellow northeastern team reach Omaha is a positive sign for Minutemen coach Mike Stone.

Gerald Herbert/The Associated PressStony Brook celebrates after defeating LSU in game three of their NCAA Super Regional series in Baton Rouge, La.

“It’s great for all of the teams in the Northeast,” Stone said of the Seawolves’ success. “Having teams like them and Kent State go this far, it gives everybody hope.”

Stone also said this was no fluke.

“They look they belong,” Stone said. “I talked to an umpire who did over 100 games this year and he said they were one of the best teams he saw all year.”

Perhaps even more impressive, the Seawolves aren’t just at a regional disadvantage, either. We know money can’t buy happiness (actually, I don’t, I’ve never had any), but can it buy College World Series appearances?

The evidence suggests it doesn’t hurt.

Take a look at the baseball spending of the schools in last three College World Series fields. We’ll also throw Stony Brook, UMass and the A-10 average up there for comparison’s sake. The number in parentheses is the school’s national rank for expenses that season.